Health

 “A Beginner’s Guide to Creating the Fitness Habit” 

Loathe it or hate it, in some form or another, exercise is one of life’s necessary ‘evils’. It doesn’t matter where you live, how much money you have in the bank or who you know – Your body is your responsibility… and you only get one.
Some think of exercise as pure hell.  Others simply refer to it as the “E-word”.  And then there are those who have found ways to completely eliminate all thoughts of physical activity from their minds (and have less-than-stellar medical records to prove it). But on the positive side, exercise doesn’t mean you have to join a gym or spend a ton of money on high-tech moisture wicking clothing. Exercise is supposed to be fun.  It’s what our bodies are meant to do.  Hard to believe, huh?

I am writing this article to hopefully clear up the misconceptions about Kundalini Yoga. As one of the few Kundalini yoga instructors in the area, I am often approached by persons with a certain amount of caution, hesitation, and questioning. “What is this style of yoga you teach?” and “I’ve heard that people can lose their minds practicing your style of yoga” and even “Are you the sex yoga instructor?”  Other yoga instructors will say, “You better be careful. Are you sure that Kundalini yoga is safe?” And then there are others who have never heard of Kundalini Yoga —yet another reason for writing this article.
The following is what I have learned to be true about Kundalini Yoga: it is known as the Yoga of Awareness, it is very safe, it is incredibly healing, and it is not sex yoga, though it does make you feel really good!

Our month of May gleams with renewal.  Fluorescent green continues to sprout from rich, dark earth after a restful winter and chilly spring.   Flowers blossom little and large, brilliant and aromatic to seduce pollinating insects—an ingenious strategy to enhance a future for all of us.  What a spectacle.   Do you ever marvel at Nature’s seasonal cycles of soughing off the old for the new to emerge?  I’ve witnessed this spring rebirth 64 times, and continue to be delighted with surprises brand new to my awareness.

I have been a runner since age 13 and ran competitively at University of Virginia in the mid 80’s.  My interest in medicine was sparked after experiencing our team physician Dr. Danial Kulund of Charlottesville try some seemingly bazaar at the time and innovative approaches to running injuries. 

He was the first to have people run in the pool and built orthotics in his toaster oven. It seemed like there must be better ways to treat these maladies and Dr. Kulund blazed his own path.  Oft injured Mary Decker Slaney was one of the first of Dr. Kulund’s patients to have running rebirth by his methods.

So he decided to start experimenting. True, it wasn’t as complex as, say, Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein”. He didn’t need to have a huge, expensively outfitted laboratory and it was entirely legal, but, after all, it was the rule, the law. Whoever cooked pasta of any shape, any length, in less than 4-6 quarts of water?

 What if someone were to tell you that there was a measurable substance in your body that is theoretically the most important indicator of the health and adaptability of your body’s total biochemistry and your risk of degenerative diseases?  Sound intriguing – that’s what is being said about Homocysteine.  Recent research is discovering that high levels of homocysteine can damage arteries, the brain and DNA.  Elevated homocysteine has been proven to increase the formation of plaques on blood vessel walls leading to clogging and hardening of the arteries.

Spring into joyful celebration of change.

What an exciting season.  Mother Nature dazzles every one of my senses in Her spectacular performance of rebirth and renewal.  Last month’s little green nubs are today’s kaleidoscopic tulips and golden daffodils.  The delicious aroma of freshly mowed grass inspires me to pause for some really deep breaths.  Barefoot stepping over lush, cool moss not only delights my feet, but also brightens my already good mood.  Songbirds serenade me into wakefulness each morning like those endearing opening scenes of Walt Disney’s Cinderella.  The exquisite taste and crunchy texture of the first fresh-picked asparagus from the garden is irresistible.   

Spring has sprung and along with mild temperatures and longer days come our primordial desires to clean houses, yards, cars and pets. Getting rid of excess “stuff” accumulated during the winter brings a tremendous sense of relief and accomplishment.  Our bodies, according to Eastern and Western healing traditions, also accumulate excess “stuff” during the winter months.  Heavy protein and fat laden meals, combined with lack of exercise, leave the digestive tract and liver sluggish. Among the “spring cleaning” herbs in Traditional Chinese and Ayruvedic Medicine is turmeric.  Traditionally, people use turmeric for indigestion, bloating, intestinal parasites, and to support the liver and gall bladder. Herbal support for the digestive tract and liver, according to these healing methods, helps the body eliminate toxins and purifies the blood. 

Q : My 15 year old Siamese cat has been diagnosed with a heart condition. The veterinarian called it cardiomyopathy. Could you explain what this is and if my cat can live with this kind of problem?

Whether you’re among the 86% of polled Americans who favor retaining “In God We Trust” on currency, or the 14% that want it deleted, here’s some down to earth encouragement to get help for living well from a powerful higher resource.  Whether you are religious, agnostic or atheist, believing in and utilizing some power greater than one’s mortal self is a topic worth exploration during these challenging times.  It’s an enduring investment with guaranteed dividends.

Q:     At my dog’s last visit to the veterinarian, he mentioned that he heard a heart murmur and that “James” may have the beginning of heart disease. James is a 12 year old boxer. Can you shed some light on the subject?

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"In the last fifty years, the concept of an holistic approach to wellness, - integrating spirit, mind and body into the health paradigm, has been called many things, some of them unrepeatable in polite company. It has morphed from alternative to complimentary and finally integrative medicine.  This includes spirituality, stress modification, exercise, diet and micronutrition. "

Dr. Gerald Lemole, Medical Director Preventive Medicine & Rehabilitation Center and Center for Integrative Health 

  Many centers are emerging around the country primarily because the public demands empowerment and a more proactive role in their own health.

“Based on limited amounts of research, the American Cancer Society says that the energy level of radio waves coming off cell towers is too low to cause cancer or any other noticeable human health impacts. Still, cell phones and their towers are a fairly new technology, and more research on the topic is sure to come.”

Is there any scientific evidence of links between exposure to cell phone tower radiation and cancer?
 No one doubts that cell phone towers give off low-level radio-frequency radiation (similar to the microwave oven in your home), but scientists are still debating the health effects of long-term exposure.

Moms and health experts agree: milk does a body good. It delivers the calcium you need for strong bones and teeth, muscle contraction and a beating heart. And now, studies are showing that people who drink milk every day lower their risk of colorectal cancer as much as 12 percent, and double that if they drink two glasses a day!

More and more retailers and designers are rejecting cruelty and potential consumer deception by adopting fur-free policies. Listed here are those who’ve announced that they don’t sell animal fur or are phasing in this policy. Be sure to check the current status of the companies listed above—in order to confirm that they are,  or  will be phasing in a fur-free policy. Some fur garments bearing the name of listed brands or designers who have recently gone fur-free may continue to be available in discount and overstock stores and on online auction sites.

Homeopathy is a system of medicine based upon the phenomenon that substances, which cause a particular illness in healthy individuals at high doses, can be used to cure or mitigate similar symptoms when given in very small doses.

History

In 1790 a German physician named Samuel Hahnemann, distressed by the toxic medical methods of his day, abandoned the practice of medicine.  At the time, the primary arsenals of medicine were bloodletting with leaches, and the use of toxic metals. Hahnemann was a linguist and, to support his large family, he went to work as a translator.

Everyone suffers from mild anxiety from time to time, but chronic anxiety takes a tremendous toll on the body, draining energy resources and keeping the body in a constant state of stress. The effects of anxiety are magnified when the body is not exercised: tension in the muscles builds, breathing remains constricted most of the time, and the mind has no rest from the whirling thoughts and feelings that feed the anxiety.

There are  several approaches to reducing impact injuries common to sustained aerobic training.  This entry will focus on a strategem used by trainers in a variety of settings.  Virtually every training situation, from rehab to sports training, can benefit from interval training.  Generally defined, an interval is a short period of time during which exercise intensity is increased.  To a jogger, an interval is a short sprint mixed in before returning to normal pace.  A walker on a treadmill might increase speed or elevation for a few seconds, then return to their sustained speed.  Any temporary increase in intensity constitutes an interval.  There are many uses and benefits to this approach, but the first task is to clarify the term intensity.